New era of connectivity to arise in region after Islamabad conference: NA speaker

ISLAMABAD : Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that Islamabad Speakers’s Conference will pave way a new era of development and prosperity in the region through connectivity and would helpful to overcome menace of terrorism.

He further said that Speakers from China, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan has been invited to attend the conference. He expressed these views while talking to the Speaker Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran and Chairman State Duma of the Russian Federation in the sidelines meetings during International Conference on “Parliamentarians Against Drugs’’ in Moscow.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq informed his counterparts that terrorism and extremism is now an international issue and this is the right time to fight against this menace collectively. Both terrorism and extremism posed severe threat to global peace and prosperity but terrorism should not be associated with any religion, culture or society, the Speaker said.

The Speaker said that terrorism and extremism are directly related to conflicts and disputes and called on the international community to pay urgent attention to address festering disputes and unresolved conflicts, aggression, foreign occupation and denial of the right to self-determination. “We must ensure regional stability and further economic integration to realize our goals” he said.

During meeting with Speaker Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran Mr. Ali Larijani, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and his Iranian counterpart underscored the role of Parliamentarians in strengthening relations between the two countries. Both sides agreed to further enhance bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran, including through closer inter-parliamentary cooperation.

While talking to Chairman Duma of the Russian Federation Mr. Vyacheslav Voldon, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq conveyed Pakistan’s appreciation to State Duma for taking the initiative to host the first International Conference on “Parliamentarians Against Drugs”. Chairman State Duma expressed appreciation for high level participation from Pakistan in the Conference.

Both sides noted that, despite the efforts of the international community, drug problem continued to pose a serious challenge. They expressed concern that drug money was funding terrorism in the region and beyond. Concern was also expressed at the increasing levels of opium poppy production in Afghanistan. It was emphasized that drug production and trafficking also effected neighboring and transit countries.

The two Speakers expressed satisfaction at the upward trajectory of bilateral relations, which had enhanced significantly in recent years. They underlined that Parliamentary diplomacy had played a significant role in the deepening of cooperation between Pakistan and Russia in various field of mutual interest.

Mr. Volodin said that he was looking forward to his visit to Pakistan to participate in the regional conference on “Challenges of Terrorism and inter- Regional Connectivity” to be held in Islamabad later this month.